An Abarth with similar equipment to a Well equipped Mini isn't really any cheaper. At the most, a grand. You can have pretty much all the important packages on a COOPER S for around 29K and a loaded Abarth is right there around 28K once you add on everything, and you are paying for a lot less of a car.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

The only think I love on the Abarth is that sexy exhaust tone. Other than that, nothing else really stands out to me on the Abarth.

 

Abarth has forged crank (like MINI) AND rods, a change made only for the Abarth motor development. MINI gives you direct injection with valve coking (see my included pics)

When I spec a Cooper S similar to our Abarth, it costs more at sticker:
Cooper S: $23,300
+ Black Paint $500
+ JCW Exterior (aero kit + sport suspension + 17"): $2,000
+ Harmon Kardon: $750
+ Climate Control $500
+ Leather (Punch Carbon): $1,500
I get a $29,345 MINI Cooper S

Our Abarth specs as this:
Abarth Base: $22,095
17" Hyperblack wheels: $1,300
Confort Conv. $900 (didn't want this, but it gives XM, auto climate, and heated seats)
Leather: $1,200
Red Stripes and Mirrors: $450
Total: $25,945
Having owned both, the base (upgraded Alpine) radio in Abarth is comparable to the HK sound. The Fiat Beats adds an unnecessary sub and bass heavy stock EQ only. Fiat now places the Turbo in between the 500 and the Abarth, though clearly, the Abarth is closer to the Cooper S. than any other combo you're considering. The Abarth's Magneti Marelli ECU replacement gives you up to 200 hp (if you dare) for $800, with a variable boost controller. Stock Abarth boosts to 18lbs! I will add that later.

So it looks like ~$3,300 difference, but we actually paid $23,000 ($3000 discount off top and they split conf/conv. retail with us), so depending on whether MINI is still not discounting or if they've changed that since we bought in '07 it's a bigger difference. Finally, the 2nd Gen Ka is built by Fiat for Ford on a 500/Panda platform. The 500 is not a derivative of the 1st gen Ka or any Ka.

 

Im in Houston, ill check out their site.

 

Something else to note, having owned both cars (not a JCW, though) is that our 2007 MINI returned 33.5 mpg mixed over the long term, and Abarth is currently averaging 29.5 mpg with the same driving. I attribute this to my wife driving the Abarth like a raped ape, as she drives it more miles than I do. Both cars can hypermile up to 40 mpg mixed, easily, but the Abarth with the sport button on delivers more performance without trying (thus eating more gas). I'll know later when she stops using the Sport button, what the true comparable mileages are.

I too am unhappy with the Abarth's high seat, and am strongly considering adding Courbeau A4s with Platform mounts. To do this you give up the seat airbags, and it is difficult to get readings from others about how many inches this drops the driver down. When driving the Abarth, you sit high above the roll center, and this gives the impression that it is extremely tippy, which it is not. I'd love to see some racing between two stockers to see how it really compares on track. I haven't taken the free Abarth Experience track day yet.

 

The cost difference between the Mini and the Fiat is offset by the comparitive resale values. Just compare the price of used Abarth's to used MCS or JCW.
I contend that the Abarth is Fiats version of the JCW.
I can also add a JB+ to a MCS and get 200 HP.

Still different cars and both require a special individual to enjoy their specialness.

 

No argument that Fiat wants you to think that, but I'm pointing out that IMO the JCW is a more extreme car (harsh ride, top edge of tuning), and that the Abarth seems like it's at 8/10s.

I'm not saying I wouldn't choose the JCW over an S in stock configuration, but you'd have to upgrade an Abarth to stiff shocks or coilovers and do the MM ECU before a Fiat can hang with a JCW. Stock for stock, it's closer to an S.

 

Major bang for the buck at 23K, I don’t think you can buy a Base Cooper with options for 23K.


Lets face it, car guys are all in the same club anyhow….keep us posted.

 

You don't need to add a JCW body kit to the car. Just because the Abarth pushes more boost, doesn't mean it's a better drive. Cooper S with JB+ is pushing out over 200HP easily and it costs only $299. The Abarth is not a competitor to the Mini in any regards. I mean it still has a twist beam rear suspension. Come on now.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Last thing I would do in the Fiat is give up an airbag. Especially since it's doors are so thin.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Mere semantics. Abarth is the Fiat 500 top of the line as is the JCW is Mini. The Fiat 500 has an S model. But if comparing the base 500 to base R58? It just does not compare. Only 3 cars hold value like Mini.

 

Karl....If you compare even a base R56 to a turbo 500 the Mini would still be better. I look at the base 500 as the Mini One competitor, and the Abarth is a Cooper S competitor. I only hope that the Abarth isn't the "JCW" of the Fiat brand, because I am thoroughly disappointed. I only hope that Fiat would be able to do better than the current Abarth if they were to make a JCW competitor. If you look at reviews from various car mags, the Cooper S and JCW both best the Abarth in every way. I'm glad you love your Fiat, but I would love to find you on a curvy road, and show you what a real hot hatch can do. 2nd Place: Fiat 500 Abarth " Loud and proud, the Abarth oozed style and distinctness. But when it came to composure in corners and everyday comfort, it left us wanting more." - motortrend 1st Place: MINI Cooper S "With moves like Mick Jagger -- and looks like Keith Richards after a hard night -- the S Cooper showed us what proper turbocharged front-wheel driving is all about." - motortrend Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

The 500 Abarth is no where near to being a JCW competitor. Although it is there top of the line model, you have to look at the base 500 as a MINI One competitor, the turbo (130 hp) model as the base non-s Cooper competitor, and the Abarth as the S competitor. Maybe down the road they will come out with something that is better equipped to take on both the S cooper and JCW.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

What is JB+?

 

JuiceBox plus! BMS makes it. Search on the web and you'll see. Lots of us N18 engine guys have it on our cars.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Ah, I have one on one of my motorcycles. So is it the same, plus in between the ECU and u got power?

 

No one claimed the Abarth was a direct JCW competitor when measuring performance and like the original poster, I think we can all agree it makes more sense to compare it to a MINI Cooper S. It's not like I haven't been driving a MINI since 2007. I've owned both, and drove one for 100,000 miles, including tearing the head off of it at 90k miles when it burned a valve. I'm at 7000 miles on our Abarth.
The Abarth has a shorter wheelbase and weighs a 100-200 lbs. less than an R58, right? So it's going to feel different than the MINI, regardless of what their top HP and Torque ratings are. And for a lot of people, the way the car feels is more important than bragging about a hp number, or a 0-60 time. The MINI's torque rating on overboost is colossal, but that doesn't make me want to say all other cars are inferior. It also had a tendency (with LSD, back when MINI offered it) to torque steer the wheel out of your hand if you didn't hold on tightly. So suffice it to say that these are all fun cars, none of them are without their faults, and they really aren't trying to compete with each other in other markets, but since we don't get Puntos, Clios, Meganes, and 208s, here, they become a big part of our limited choice of hot hatches. I for one, feel lucky to have owned both. I've already expressed to Shawn in his PM to me, that if I were him and had no past experience with either, I'd probably start with a MINI Cooper S. But I also told him that these cars are Amped Economy cars, and I expect them to break accordingly. My experience with MINI quality was kinda poor, and MINI service and corporate refusing to admit design flaws of death rattle and DI intake coking was egregious. Doesn't mean I hate the cars, but I refused to rebuy that DI motor that still has no solution for carbon buildup.

 

I keep looking for Minis, but some dont have theheated seats option. Is that easy to add on after the fact?

 

Here are two cases where rather than score Abarth as far inferior based on each category of comparison, the reviewers were able to get some perspective and consider that the world's a better place with both cars:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...rack-terrors-1
http://www.motoringfile.com/2012/07/...ini-jcw-coupe/

BTW, my wife also contends that our MINI seemed faster, but the Abarth is more fun to drive. She chooses it over our '09 Elise most days, if that tells you anything, and many days, I do too. My neighbor traded a 911 on an Abarth and can't stop raving about it. He pointed out that he never got to push his 911 at all, without fear of losing his license. I think the problem with basing your choice of cars on magazine reviews is that can miss the cars with soul. Thankfully for the MINI, it's got soul in spades and performance to rank it highly when put up against similar cars. One review I saw ranked the Veloster Turbo over the Abarth and MCS. That I could not understand, as the Velsoster did not seem like the winner against either, but that's why we ask for lots of opinions.

 

No, not easy to add. You can buy the elements and custom wire it yourself if you can pay an upholsterer to do a quality job pulling your seat bottom covers and adding the elements. But it's a risk. Never heard of anyone doing it on a modern car.
Or do it yourself if you want to try your hand at hogrings.

You could search realoem.com for all the parts to try to do it with factory parts. You'll need switches, heating elements, and possibly some additional wiring.

Here's a universal kit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rn...FQqGfgodcn8AVg

 

I had heated front seats added to a 2004 Jeep Rubicon and watched the seat shop do it. All they did was remove the seat covers, add thin heating pads with some 3M spray glued to keep them from moving around, put the covers back on, ran the wiring through the console and drilled to small holes for the rotor switches in the location I wanted.


They worked great and could keep a pizza warm if turned up.


Hope this helps...

 

Don't think they make a JuiceBox for motorcycles, unless it's under a different company name.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

It feels drastically slower than the MINI, no matter who's driving it. The MINI isn't an economy car. It's a BMW product. You should plan on having the same issues you might with any German car. The Fiat however, is a Mexican-made Chrysler/Fiat mashup of bits and pieces. I would be even more wary of the Fiat when it comes to reliability. Besides that, it's nowhere near as fun to drive

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

They don't make a JB+ for motorcycles. It's a BMW, Mercedes, and MINI thing.

I don't know what you mean by is it the same, plus in between ecu and u got power. Can you clarify please?

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

They don't make a JB+ for motorcycles. It's a BMW, Mercedes, and MINI thing.

I don't know what you mean by is it the same, plus in between ecu and u got power. Can you clarify please?

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring